Stuck grace notes + fermata

2006-04-28 11:43 pm

I have observed some discrepancy in how grace notes are played back. Perhaps it is known from before, but it was new to me. To hear it properly, use a slow tempo like quarter=60 and some instrument patch that is sustained (i.e. a wind or string). First a clip that plays back OK:

Code: [Select · Download]

!NoteWorthyComposerClip(2.0,Single)
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:-1
|Note|Dur:16th,Grace|Pos:0|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=First
|Note|Dur:16th,Grace|Pos:1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=End
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:3^
|TempoVariance|Style:Fermata|Pause:4|Pos:8|Justify:Center|Placement:AtNextNote
|Note|Dur:4th|Pos:3|Opts:Stem=Down
!NoteWorthyComposerClip-End

Then I change the end note value to a sixteenth, which seems to be played back in parallel with the grace notes, effective like the grace notes were stuck?

Code: [Select · Download]

!NoteWorthyComposerClip(2.0,Single)
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:-1
|Note|Dur:16th,Grace|Pos:0|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=First
|Note|Dur:16th,Grace|Pos:1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=End
|Note|Dur:16th|Pos:3^
|TempoVariance|Style:Fermata|Pause:4|Pos:8|Justify:Center|Placement:AtNextNote
|Note|Dur:4th|Pos:3|Opts:Stem=Down
!NoteWorthyComposerClip-End

Add one more grace note, and the effect is even more noticeable:

Code: [Select · Download]

!NoteWorthyComposerClip(2.0,Single)
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:-1
|Note|Dur:16th,Grace|Pos:0|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=First
|Note|Dur:16th,Grace|Pos:1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Note|Dur:16th,Grace|Pos:2|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=End
|Note|Dur:16th|Pos:3^
|TempoVariance|Style:Fermata|Pause:4|Pos:8|Justify:Center|Placement:AtNextNote
|Note|Dur:4th|Pos:3|Opts:Stem=Down
!NoteWorthyComposerClip-End

Finally, as a side-effect, I noticed that if the fermata is moved to the note just next to the grace notes, the playback delay happens for the first of the grace notes, rather than lengthen the actual note where the fermata is. This is true both for the case where grace notes get stuck and not:

Code: [Select · Download]

!NoteWorthyComposerClip(2.0,Single)
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:-1
|Note|Dur:16th,Grace|Pos:0|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=First
|Note|Dur:16th,Grace|Pos:1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Note|Dur:16th,Grace|Pos:2|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=End
|TempoVariance|Style:Fermata|Pause:4|Pos:8|Justify:Center|Placement:AtNextNote
|Note|Dur:16th|Pos:3^|Opts:Stem=Down
|Note|Dur:4th|Pos:3|Opts:Stem=Down
!NoteWorthyComposerClip-End

Based on my experimenting, it seems the bigger number of grace notes, the longer note must follow to prevent the grace notes from sticking; i.e. two grace notes require a dotted sixteenth, three grace => an eigth, four or five grace => a dotted eight and so on? :-?

I am using Public Preview 1z. This was my first post pasting notation, I hope it worked OK.

Re: Stuck grace notes + fermata

Reply #1 – 2006-04-29 12:24 am

G'day Carlsson,
the phenomena you report is known in a general sort of way...

What's actually happening is that the NWC implementation of a grace note is not "according to the rules".

An appoggiatura (grace note without a slash across its stem) should steal time from the following note according to some fairly complex rules depending on whether the note is dotted or not. Without going too far into that suffice to say that it (they) should steal around 50% of the following notes duration.

In NWC, a grace note is fixed at a 32nd note (demisemiquaver) duration. Thus if you have enough grace notes to add up to a duration longer than the note they precede then you will get the phenomenon of some grace notes playing after the principle note.

Demisemiquaver demo:

Code: [Select · Download]

!NoteWorthyComposerClip(2.0,Single)
|Clef|Type:Treble
|Instrument|Name:"Trumpet"|Patch:56|Bank:0,0|Trans:0|DynVel:10,30,45,60,75,92,108,127|Pos:9
|Tempo|Tempo:60|Pos:12
|TimeSig|Signature:2/4
|Note|Dur:32nd,Grace|Pos:-1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=First
|Note|Dur:32nd,Grace|Pos:0|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Note|Dur:32nd,Grace|Pos:1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Note|Dur:32nd,Grace|Pos:2|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=End
|Note|Dur:Half|Pos:3
|Bar
|Note|Dur:32nd|Pos:-1|Opts:Stem=Down,Beam=First
|Note|Dur:32nd|Pos:0|Opts:Stem=Down,Beam
|Note|Dur:32nd|Pos:1|Opts:Stem=Down,Beam
|Note|Dur:32nd|Pos:2|Opts:Stem=Down,Beam=End
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:3^
|Note|Dur:4th|Pos:3
!NoteWorthyComposerClip-End

Overlap demo:

Code: [Select · Download]

!NoteWorthyComposerClip(2.0,Single)
|Clef|Type:Treble
|Instrument|Name:"Trumpet"|Patch:56|Bank:0,0|Trans:0|DynVel:10,30,45,60,75,92,108,127|Pos:9
|Tempo|Tempo:60|Pos:12
|TimeSig|Signature:2/4
|Note|Dur:32nd,Grace|Pos:-1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=First
|Note|Dur:32nd,Grace|Pos:0|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Note|Dur:32nd,Grace|Pos:1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Note|Dur:32nd,Grace|Pos:2|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=End
|Note|Dur:Half|Pos:3
|Bar
|Note|Dur:32nd,Grace|Pos:-1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=First
|Note|Dur:32nd,Grace|Pos:0|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Note|Dur:32nd,Grace|Pos:1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Note|Dur:32nd,Grace|Pos:2|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=End
|Note|Dur:4th|Pos:3
|Rest|Dur:4th
|Bar
|Note|Dur:32nd,Grace|Pos:-1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=First
|Note|Dur:32nd,Grace|Pos:0|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Note|Dur:32nd,Grace|Pos:1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Note|Dur:32nd,Grace|Pos:2|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=End
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:3
|Rest|Dur:8th
|Rest|Dur:4th
|Bar
|Note|Dur:32nd,Grace|Pos:-1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=First
|Note|Dur:32nd,Grace|Pos:0|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Note|Dur:32nd,Grace|Pos:1|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Note|Dur:32nd,Grace|Pos:2|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=End
|Note|Dur:16th|Pos:3
|Rest|Dur:16th
|Rest|Dur:8th
|Rest|Dur:4th
|Bar
|Note|Dur:32nd|Pos:-1|Opts:Stem=Down,Beam=First
|Note|Dur:32nd|Pos:0|Opts:Stem=Down,Beam
|Note|Dur:32nd|Pos:1|Opts:Stem=Down,Beam
|Note|Dur:32nd|Pos:2|Opts:Stem=Down,Beam=End
|Note|Dur:8th|Pos:3^
|Note|Dur:4th|Pos:3
|Bar
!NoteWorthyComposerClip-End

As far as the fermata is concerned, it has its effect when the note it is attached to is played. Thus if your principle note plays when, say, the second grace note plays then you have a 2 note chord that is paused. Fermata duration concludes and the rest of the grace notes play.

Your examples show this.